Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cylinder head integrated with an exhaust manifold and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler in a vehicle engine, wherein the exhaust manifold and the EGR cooler are inserted into the cylinder head and are integrated with the cylinder head.
Description of Related Art
Generally, an exhaust manifold is developed as an additional component separately from a cylinder head and is mounted to the cylinder head, thereby frequently causing thermal damage to a vehicle as well as affecting performance and durability of an engine. Thus, the exhaust manifold has been a major issue in a vehicle package.
An exhaust manifold requires a sufficient space within the engine room for its own disposal and additionally requires a sufficient gap between itself and neighboring components for preventing thermal damage to the neighboring components.
Further, a catalyst, which is disposed in the back of the exhaust manifold, needs to be disposed close enough to the engine so as to be rapidly activated. Thus, the exhaust manifold and the engine need to be disposed compactly.
In other words, in the case that the exhaust manifold as an additional structure is mounted to a cylinder head, an additional space for receiving the exhaust manifold is needed. In addition, a thermal barrier for preventing thermal damage should be provided. Thus, the exhaust manifold should be received within a restricted space in order to close the distance from the catalyst.
Consequently, the shape of the exhaust manifold should be dramatically modified in order to dispose the exhaust manifold within the restricted space. The dramatic modification in the shape of the exhaust manifold results in it being disposed at an increased distance from the catalyst, results in losses in performance, reduced thermal durability, etc. In the case that curvature of the shape of the exhaust manifold is dramatically changed, cracking may appear in a stress concentration area due to thermal fatigue.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.